


Unexpected

by DarkCellar



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy, kylux - Fandom
Genre: Alternate Universe - Star Wars Setting, Armitage Hux/Kylo Ren Fluff, Darth Tantrum and his Evil Space Ginger, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Domestic Fluff, Feelings Realization, Fluff, Gay Male Character, I Ship It, I Will Go Down With This Ship, Kylo Ren Needs a Hug, Kylux - Freeform, M/M, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Out of Character, Post-Star Wars: The Force Awakens, Romantic Fluff, Roommates, Short & Sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-30
Updated: 2018-07-30
Packaged: 2019-06-18 00:43:15
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 8,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15473733
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkCellar/pseuds/DarkCellar
Summary: After the disaster of Starkiller, monetary resources and physical assets are scarcer than ever, in The First Order. In a bid to conserve space, Supreme Leader Snoke has instituted a policy mandating that everybody, even the highest ranking officers, take on a designated roommate and share quarters together.This order does not, unfortunately, exclude the highest of the high, General Hux; nor does it exclude the Supreme Leader’s moody apprentice, Kylo Ren.When the two are ordered to share quarters with one another, Hux braces himself for the very worst. Yet, to his surprise, something develops between himself and the knight that he never would have imagined.





	1. Chapter 1

Hux wanted patiently for everybody to stop talking, although it was difficult for him not to go into a bellowing rant. But his recent appointment with the F.O. Physician had informed him that his blood pressure was dangerously high. That combined with increased heart rate and stress made him into a bit of a ticking time bomb, and, because he had no interest in dying just yet, he actively worked on manifesting a calmer, more peaceful General than had been previously shown.

Considering the current situation they were in, though, he couldn’t deny that his anxiety wasn’t unwarranted.

Ever since the explosion of Starkiller, and the loss of the massive super weapon, things had not been going well for the First Order. The Resistance had been emboldened by their huge victory, and they followed to their momentum by continuing to attack. Viciously, and mercilessly. Over the course of just a few days, the fighters had managed to take out nearly 2/3 of the Order’s ships, and men.

Hux hated to admit this, but the Order was, effectually, on the run from the loathsome rebels. They had managed to lose them in-between star systems, and now the remaining members were divided amongst two large ships. Their destination lay in the unknown regions, where they would rebuild, recruit and train more individuals, and (hopefully) come back stronger than ever.

Because space was now extremely constricted, Snoke issued forth an order that every person be assigned two or more bunkmates, to utilize what little room they had. No more private chambers for the higher-ranking Officers, and the stormtrooper barracks were doubled and even tripled with people sharing the same living area.

This is what the meeting Hux had called with his officers today was about. Hux, having personal knowledge of everybody in the Order, has been assigned the daunting task of choosing who roomed with whom.

As he called out pairs (or small groups) of names, he was thankful that the disgruntled grumbles were kept to a minimum. This was hard enough without having people complain that they didn’t like their new roommates, and besides, the situation was ((hopefully)) just a temporary one.

As he neared the end of the list on his DataPad, his breath caught in his throat a bit.

There was something there that he had not written himself, something that had come directly from Snoke.

Apparently, Hux himself was not exempt from this mandate, as he had assumed he would be.

And the person Snoke had designated to share quarters with him ...

After the meeting, Hux made his way to Snoke’s chambers, his heart quaking nervously as it always did upon the thought of seeing his Ruler.

-/-

The room was always so dark that Hux had to slightly squint, while he waited for his eyes to adjust. Dark, and reflective red. And the guards ... Snoke had a handful of tall, burly, red-cloaked guards that stood, silent and menacing, in a circle around Snoke’s seat. Hux had never heard them speak, nor hear the Supreme Leader speak to them, making him think that they must communicate telepathically.

Hux walked up and stood in his spot, bowing his head respectfully. “You summoned me, Supreme Leader?”

At that moment, Kylo Ren entered from behind, walking up until he was several feet back from Hux, still. He dropped to his knee and bowed his head, as was required of him when in Snoke’s presence.

“Master.”

“Rise, my apprentice,” Snoke mandated in his deep voice, gesturing with his hand. “Rise, and stand beside General Hux.”

Kylo moved into position, and even with that dreadful helmet on, Hux could feel that Kylo’s eyes were on him. The two had had a mistrustful, contentious relationship almost since the day they met, a result of both continually seeking acceptance and approval from Snoke. Neither man saw much merit in the attributes of the other, and they tried to avoid contact with each other unless absolutely necessary.

Hux wished that he would take that contraption off, however, so that Hux could see the undoubtedly shocked look as Snoke explained to Kylo what Hux had found out earlier: the two of them were to share quarters.

“Private quarters are for those who don’t fail me, Lord Ren,” Snoke said, likely responding to one of Kylo’s thoughts. “You and Hux have both failed me significantly. Far more than anyone else in my command.”

He turned towards Hux, his black eyes glowing as he said, “Do you wish to contest this, General?”

Hux quickly shook his head. “No, Supreme Leader.”

“Very good. You both shall move into sector AA-17. I have staff packing your belongings and moving them there as we speak.”

“Yes, Supreme Leader.”

Suddenly, without any warning beforehand, Kylo was flying backwards off his feet, his body surrounding by a cage of blue-bolted lightning. He landed on his back, his helmet making a sickening-sounding crunch as it connected with the floor. Hux was badly startled, but he didn’t change his current position. 

Now Snoke was rising from his seat, walking towards Kylo. Hux fought nearly every instinct he had not to cower, as Snoke passed by him. Snoke stood in front of the crumpled Kylo, crouching just slightly.

“Take that ridiculous thing off,” Snoke told him, so low that it was almost a whisper.

Kylo sat up and did as he was told. Hux kept facing forward, but he could hear the distinctive hiss of the helmets airlock mechanism, and the light thud as it was placed on the ground.

For the next half hour, Snoke launched into a very long, cutting speech about the multiple ways he felt Kylo had failed him, starting with his inability to get the map from the Resistance pilot, all the way to his loss in the lightsaber battle to the girl.

Hux, for the first time in a long time, felt sympathy for Ren. To be yelled at by Snoke was bad enough, but to be cruelly humiliated like this, and in the added presence of Hux, was horrific. Made worse by the fact that Kylo wasn’t allowed to answer back or defend himself.

At the end of his speech, he told Kylo to go to the on-ship Force and Physical training facility and wait for him there.

Hux heard his boots clomp on the way out, and he took a deep breath, feeling as though his own lecture was coming next.

So he was surprised when Snoke merely sat back in his chair, and told Hux to “Go and oversee preparations for your new quarters.”

-/-

“I’ve put all your boxes in your room,” Hux told him, cautiously. “However if there’s anything you wish to be out in the common areas, feel free to put it there.”

It was the end of the day, and Hux had spent a great deal of time neatly arranging everything in his and Ren’s new quarters. He separated Kylo’s items into their own boxes, and had put everything into his room, to be unpacked at his own discretion. 

Seeing him come in through the doorway had been surreal. He had been without his helmet, and his face very clearly expressed his unease with the entire situation.

“Which bedroom is mine?”

Another twitch of unreality; Hux had only heard his natural voice a handful of times over the past couple of years. It was deep, it was controlled.

Hux pointed to the far left door. Kylo nodded, then walked into it, letting the door close behind him.

Hux didn’t see him again for the rest of the evening.

 _Perhaps this won’t be so bad, after all,_ Hux thought to himself before he laid down for the evening. _If we both simply keep to ourselves, we shouldn’t have any real problems with one another._

-/-

Hux could tell that Kylo had been in one of his moods, when he came home that evening. His face was clouded, his fists clenched, and, once he had stomped into his room, Hux could hear the sounds of many things being thrown at the walls.

Still, he ignored this. Whatever went on in Kylo’s room was his own business; the only time Hux would have an issue with it would be if it extended outside.

The two had been living together now for several weeks, and each day was very much like that first day. Both men were gone almost the entire day, and at night, each kept primarily to himself. Kylo preferred to stay in his room, and Hux, when not in his own room, would be in the living room working on things he had brought home from his office.

As far as decorating went, there was only one item of Kylo’s that made it past his bedroom door. Hux had come home one day to find Kylo there ahead of him, polishing what looked to be a silver pedestal, upon which sat an extremely mangled, almost unrecognizable black helmet.

“It’s my grandfather,” Kylo had told him, before Hux could question. And that was a little disturbing, the way Kylo clearly personified the object and spoke about it as if it was, in actuality, Darth Vader. Even more unsettling when Hux noticed that Kylo would arise in the mornings nearly an hour before he had to, sit cross-legged on the ground, and hold a conversation with it. Hux only ever heard Kylo’s voice speaking, but the way he spoke was as if the helmet was answering him back. Hux didn’t want to listen too hard to these ‘chats’, because if by some form of lunacy he heard Vader answer back, he’d have no choice but to commit himself to the psychiatric unit. 

Yet despite this little quirk, there were no real issues between them. But Hux was still very much on-edge, concerning Kylo. It wasn’t like the dark-haired man to be calm and docile for this long, and Hux could almost feel that Kylo was itching to find way to get under his skin, as he always had before. 

Still, he had other things to worry about. He had a speech he was set to make at a recruitment rally in several days, and he was having difficulty with it. He had his DataPad out and was going back and forth between writing new bits, and quietly rehearsing the parts that he was satisfied with.

After about an hour of this, Kylo came out of his lair. He went into the conservator, and Hux assumed he was making food to take back into his room. Yet when the door closed, Kylo came into the living room with his plate, and sat down in one of the chairs, facing Hux.

Hux had been in the middle of a sentence when Kylo came in, and his presence threw him off, but to his credit Hux’s tone didn’t change, nor did his speech falter. Kylo’s eyes were on his plate, but it was clear that he was listening.

When Hux finished with that particular portion of his speech, and picked up his DataPad again, Kylo cleared his throat and said,

“That didn’t make any sense.”

“Oh? Which part?”

“All of it.”

Hux frowned. He couldn’t tell whether Kylo was being serious, or if he was just tooling with him.

“Can I ask you to be a little more specific?”

“Okay. Your speech focuses too much on empty promise, and not enough on reality. People who are looking to join something want solid, concrete reasons as to why they should join. For example, monetary compensation, decent lodging, any number of little incentives to make them want to put on the white uniform and go out and kill people.”

Hux sighed and ran his hand through his hair wearily. “I’m afraid ‘empty promise’ is all I have to offer at the moment, Ren. At least until we find more funding for these ‘incentives’ you speak of.”

“Well at the very least can you work on changing your tone of voice? You sound as though you’re about to send everyone to their executions; not very inviting.”

“I’ll take your criticism under note, Ren. However for the time being I’d appreciate it if you let me work in peace, as I have quite a bit more to get through this evening.”

But instead of leaving, Kylo just continued to eat, apparently undaunted by Hux’s request.

So Hux sat back down and continued to type into his DataPad, trying to ignore the increasing aggravation he felt at Kylo being in the room. Kylo, being sensitive to feelings, picked up on Hux’s silent struggle, and smirked.

“You should really learn to have a better handle on your emotions, General. That anger you’re trying so hard to push back ... it’s not really healthy.”

Hux looked up at him incredulously, and let out a short, snorting laugh.

“You do realize the hypocrisy in you, YOU, lecturing ME, on having control of my emotions, correct?”

Finished with his food, Kylo levitated the plate into the kitchen, while wiping his hands along the sides of the chair, much to Hux’s chagrin.

“I’m always in perfect control of myself.”

“Really? Was there a small earthquake in your room about an hour ago, or did I just imagine hearing things smash against your walls?”

“That’s different. That’s letting out excess energy before it could build up to kill you.”

“Amusing, how many different ways one can phrase having a childish tantrum.”

Now Kylo scowled, and Hux could see the first real trickles of anger coming into his face.

“Watch yourself, Armitage. Remember to who you speak.”

“Whom. To _whom_ I speak, not ‘who’. But I suppose I can’t expect you to know proper grammar, considering your primary educational focus was MAGIC TRICKS.”

Kylo sat up straighter, and Hux could swear he saw his fingers twitch in the direction of his waist, which was normally where he’d keep his lightsaber.

“Is it going to be a magic trick when I choke the life out of you, and leave your body for the cleaning droid to find in the morning?”

Hux sighed, closing his eyes and massaging his fingers slowly across the bridge of his nose.

“If you feel it necessary to do so, then by all means, kill me. But if not, Ren, I would truly appreciate your silence. I have a splitting headache and you’re, as always, making it worse.”

Miraculously, Kylo stood up, said, “Fine.”, and went into his room. Hux stared at the closed door in disbelief, then let out a sigh of relief. He went back to his work, becoming so engrossed that he barely noticed when Kylo’s door cracked open about half an hour later. Hux thought that maybe he was coming back out to irritate him more ... but instead of Kylo, two small round tablets were floating slowly through the air towards Hux.

Curiously, Hux put out his hand and caught them. As soon as they landed in his palm, Kylo’s door slid shut once more. Further examination revealed them to be painkillers, good for taking away bodily cramps, and pains ... and headaches.

Hux smiled a little as he swallowed the two tablets dry, then set back to work.

The rest of the night passed a little easier.


	2. Chapter 2

“Kriff!”

Hux looked up from his DataPad and frowned. It was about a week later, and Kylo had, once again, made an appearance in the living room during Hux’s ‘quiet time’. This time, instead of eating, Kylo was sitting on the floor, with a bunch of metal pieces and loose wires floating in the air next to him. Every so often he’d take a piece, examine it, and curse to himself again.

“Ren. I’m trying to work, so I would appreciate it greatly if you played with your toys in your own room.”

Kylo rolled his eyes, letting all of the pieces fall back to the ground. “It’s not a toy, you imbecile. I’m building a lightsaber.”

“Is there something wrong with your current one?”

Kylo shook his head. “No, no; but I’ve always wanted to make a second one some day. And now I’ve got a kyber crystal for it, so, it seems like a good time.”

“Kyber crystal?”

Without moving, Kylo floated a tiny jewel across the room to Hux. Hux held it gently and looked it over carefully, exploring all the little smooth corners.

“That’s a kyber crystal. It’s what gives a lightsaber it’s power.”

Hux walked over to him and placed the gem on the floor next to him, before taking his own seat once more.

“I thought the lightsaber _user_ is what gives a saber it’s power.”

“It’s a collaborative effort, really. You meditate over the crystal to infuse it with your energy, and the crystal harnesses that power and exudes it through the saber.”

Hux nodded, mildly interested. He had never known before what went into the making of a Force-user’s weapon; it seemed that it was a more complicated process than he’d imagined. But rather than say any of this to Ren, Hux looked back down at his DataPad and said,

“Please tell me that you’ll be making THIS one into a more conventional shape, and leaving out the horrid cross-guard?”

Kylo scowled at him. “How about you mind your own business? The only time you need to be concerned about it’s shape is when I’m sticking it through your heart.”

“I may not be as easy to take down as you’d think, Ren.”

“Don’t tell me that you know how to work a lightsaber, too?”

“Er, no. But when I was younger, my father had me tutored in a variety of hand to hand and combat-defensive arts. Traditional sword fighting was one of those.”

Kylo nodded. “Well, a lightsaber isn’t that much different from a conventional sword, I suppose ... except that you’ll likely go straight through anything that you touch with the blade.”

He unclipped his current lightsaber from his belt, and held it in Hux’s direction.

“Would you like to try mine?”

Excitement made Hux’s face flush pink, and he took a breath as his adrenaline picked up. But he quickly pushed his eagerness away, and said,

“Thank you, but no. I don’t wish to hurt anything.”

Kylo rolled his eyes and got to his feet, coming up to Hux. He reached out and took hold of Hux’s right hand, and pressed the saber tightly into it. “Just try it.”

Hux was about to argue further, when he saw that if he did so, Ren would just keep at him until he wore him down.

So Hux took a deep breath, and ignited it.

He had to be more aware of the proximity that the blade had to the objects around him, than a metal sword. Still, this felt nice. When he was comfortable holding it in his hand, he tried moving it around a little. He remembered all of the more detailed movements that he had learned as a boy, and executed them beautifully. The growling swoosh that it made as he sliced through the air gave him a great deal of satisfaction, and his confidence increased when he was able to flip it with his limber wrist, and still maintain perfect control.

Kylo was watching him quietly, a thoughtful expression on his face. 

Eventually, Hux felt that he had had enough stimulation for one evening, and he switched the saber back off, before handing it to Kylo.

“That was quite enjoyable,” he told him, permitting himself a small smile. “Heavier than I’d imagined, once one activates it.”

Kylo nodded, clipping the saber back unto his belt, before sitting back down. As he began tinkering with the new saber, he said, casually,

“Well, maybe when I get this one finished, we can spar together sometime. It would be refreshing, to have somebody other than Snoke to practice with.”

Hux was on the verge of agreeing, when something twisted in his middle. Some feeling, some strong sense of self-isolation, held him back. So instead of the eager answer he had been going to give, he simply sat back down with his DataPad, and said, in an aloof voice,

“Perhaps. However, once again I must repeat that I am quite busy at the moment, so if you don’t mind ...”

Ren nodded, and without another word, packed up his things and went back into his room. Hux stared at the place where he had been sitting for a long time.

Eventually, he was able to get back to work.

-/-

Kylo walked out of his room, doing his best to stifle a yawn.

He had gotten back from his mission to Lothal several hours ago, but the seven day mission had severely altered his sense of time. Where he currently was, it was late afternoon, but back on Lothal, it was the middle of the night. He was thankful that Snoke had given him leave from his duties for a few days, so that he could try and reroute his internal clock.

He went to the kitchen, doing his sweeping eye glance that he always did, to verify whether Hux was planted in his usual spot in the living room.

He wasn’t.

Kylo made himself a snack and sat down in one of the chairs to eat. He wasn’t consciously aware of this, but he had angled his body so that he was facing the direction of the front door. After about a half-hour of slow eating and watching, he decided to go back to his room and sleep again. As he stood up, a low, muted coughing sound caught his ear. 

Wait a second — had Hux been in his own bedroom this entire time? Maker, Kylo MUST have been tired.

As he passed Hux’s door to his own, the coughing sound intensified, making Kylo frown. It sounded horrible. 

So Kylo did something that he had never done, in the entire time living with Hux: he knocked on his bedroom door.

A pause, and then a wary “Yes?”

“I, er, heard you coughing.”, Kylo called through the closed door.

Another pause, and then, “Congratulations. You heard me emitting a normal biological sound. Is there anything else?”

Kylo glared at the door, feeling annoyed and slightly embarrassed. He attributed his unusual concern for Hux’s well-being to feeling overly tired, and was about to continue the track to his room, when the coughing started again. Louder this time, and sounding acutely painful.

Without stopping to think about what he was doing, or why, Kylo used the Force to get past Hux’s security lock and open the door. It took him a moment to see; Hux’s room was darkened. Eventually he made out the redhead, sitting at the desk in the corner, his resting on top of it. 

He barely lifted it when Kylo came in, and scowled at him.

“Have you ever heard of waiting for _permission_ to enter someone’s personal room? I don’t just go into YOUR room unannounced and uninvited.”

Ignoring him, Kylo came closer and took a careful look at Hux. His normally pale skin was flushed with bright splotches of red, his eyes were foggy, and his normally tidy hair was splayed out unevenly all over his head.

“You don’t look so good.”

“Well. You mean to say, I don’t look so well.”

“Spare me your grammar lesson, Hux. I’m being serious. You don’t look _well_ at all. Are you ill?”

Hux shook his head before turning it the other way, facing the wall away from Kylo. “I’m fine. Better once you leave and let me get on with my work.”

“Work? What ‘work’ are you possibly doing in the dark? Conjuring up forces from the spirit world?”

Hux erupted into another coughing fit, his entire body shaking. When it passed, he said, sounding more tired than before,

“Rehearsing a speech I have to make in a few days. Okay? Now please leave.”

Kylo turned on his heel to do as Hux requested, but something, some inexplicable pull, kept him where he was.

“You have five minutes to get dressed,” Kylo told Hux in a firm voice, folding his arms across his chest. “Then we’re going to the medical bay.”

Hux turned his head now, staring at Kylo with an incredulous expression.

“Medical bay? For an insignificant throat tickle? And just who do you think you’re talking to? What makes you presume that you can give me orders like that?”

“I outrank you.”

Hux started to laugh, which initiated another coughing spell. When he could manage to speak, he said,

“You? Outrank ME? You don’t even _have_ a rank! You’re an anomaly to the system! You’re —“

Hux was interrupted when he realized that his entire body was slowly levitating into the air. He grabbed the edge of the desk in a panic, in an attempt to keep himself anchored; but his efforts weren’t successful.

“ **That’s** how I outrank you,” Kylo said calmly, standing in front of him. “Now I’m going to give you a choice. You either do what I say, get dressed, and walk normally to the medical bay, OR I just float you there, like this. It makes no difference to me _how_ we get there, but we ARE getting there. Your move, Armitage.”

Amazingly, all of the fight, the aggression, slipped out of Hux. Maybe it was that he recognized the futility of resistance; maybe it was because he was reacting to the concern that the usually self-absorbed Kylo was showing for him right now.

Whatever the reason, the result was a desired one. Hux sighed and nodded. “Very well. I’ll get dressed. Can you let me down, please?”

Kylo floated him back to the ground, then left, to give him privacy to dress. A few moments later he came out, and the two set off for medical bay.

-/-

“Strain 6 viral pneumonia,” Kylo said, reading the labels on on of the bottles of medication Hux had received in med bay. “That’s pretty damn serious, Hux. That’s more than a ‘throat tickle’.”

Hux scowled, pulling his blanket further up his neck. They were back home, after an hour long examination and diagnosis. Ren had, once again, gone into Hux’s bedroom. “It’s not that big a deal.”

Kylo raised an eyebrow. “Death isn’t a big deal to you? Because having fluid in your lungs, untreated, leads to death.”

Hux sighed and turned over on his side. “I went to med bay, I got medication, I informed Snoke that I’m going to be home for a few days in order to recover. Is all of that good enough for you, or is there something else you feel the need to criticize?”

Kylo sighed and began moving towards the door. “Get some rest. Your next round of antibiotics is —“

“It’s in two hours, I know. I’ve already set an alarm. Anything else?”

“No. Okay. I’ll be in my room, if ... if you need anything.”

Something about the quiet, subdued, and totally un-Ren-like way that he had said that made Hux turn back around and look at him. He couldn’t recall ever having seen the dark haired man look worried, before; but that was precisely how he looked now.

“Kylo?”

“Yeah?”

“Um, thank you. I ... appreciate, your concern.”

Something else Hux couldn’t recall ever having seen from Ren before: a _smile_. Not a smirk or a chuckle but a real, genuine _smile_. It transformed his entire face, making him seem impossibly young. It was only there for a few moments, but it was enough.

And then Kylo was just nodding, and pressing the button to close Hux’s door behind himself.

After a long while of tossing, turning, and thinking, Hux finally fell asleep.


	3. Chapter 3

Hux woke up with a start, rubbing the blur out of his eyes as he straightened out of the hunch he had been in.

He looked around himself, and let out an irritated sigh.

This was the 4th night in a row he had fallen asleep at his desk, and stayed there most of the night. 

Several weeks ago, Hux and his team had found a number of planets in the mid-rim system that were sympathetic to the cause of The First Order. They had been willing to join the Order, as well as provide some sorely-needed funding, in exchange for having a controlling interest in the Order. Since negotiations had begun with the two biggest planets, Belsavis and Farsine, Hux had been loaded down with a backbreaking amount of paperwork and agreement documents that he could just never seem to get fully done during the day. 

Now he stood up and stretched, groaning. His chair wasn't exactly comfortable, and sitting (and sleeping) in it for so long always created a horrible crick in his back.

He wished he could requisition a new one, but considering the strict new budget he had implemented, a move like that would have made him seem like a hypocrite. Even for something that would be in his own bedroom.

He looked at his watch. 3am. He usually began making his rounds at 6, which meant he could either stay up, and try to get some more work done, or he could get into bed and try to salvage what few hours of sleep he had left.

He decided he may as well stay awake, take a hot shower for his back, and force himself to keep working.

As he headed from his room and towards the refresher, he paused as he passed the kitchen, doing a double-take.

“Ren. What are you doing awake so early?"

“You mean, so late?" Kylo asked back, stepping closer to him. "I haven't been to bed yet."

“Why not?"

Kylo shrugged. “Snoke has had me with him for hours, planning out new trips for my Knights."

Hux nodded, understanding what Kylo meant. What he referred to as 'trips' were actually a series of journeys to extremely far-reach places in the galaxy, looking for Kylo's uncle, Luke Skywalker. Kylo had 5 knights in all, and every few months they were sent to different systems, incognito, to inspect the series of planets in that system and try to pick up clues as to the whereabouts of the old Jedi.

So far, their progress had been a bunch of false leads and wasted time.

Hux had only met Kylo's knights a handful of times in the past several years, as they were almost always traveling. They really had nothing to do with Hux; they were entirely Kylo's responsibly.

And for that, Hux was grateful.

He didn't need _that_ burden on his already weighted shoulders, as well.

Hux nodded at Kylo's explanation, and told him why HE was awake, again, at such an ungodly hour.

“So what are you going to go do now? Are you going to sleep?"

Hux shook his head. "It would be pointless, I'd have to wake up soon, and start getting ready for the day, anyway.”

“You should really eat something.”

Hux shook his head. “I’m not hungry, Ren.”

“But you’re still getting over your virus, and adequate food consumption is paramount to a full recovery.”

Hux folded his arms across his chest. “Whenever did you find the time to obtain your medical degree, doctor?”

Ignoring Hux’s sarcasm, Kylo says, “Do you like chocolate puffcake?"

Despite himself, Hux smiled. "I haven't had that since I was, let me think, 14 or 15 years old."

“I have some in my room, an entire plate full. If you want, you can have some. I've got sweet cream tea, as well.”

“Where did you get those things?", Hux asked, sitting down at the table.

“Classified information," Kylo responded, before hurrying into his room. He came back out moments later with the items in question, and Hux was surprised, that the sight of the food made his stomach quake. How long had it been since he had last eaten? He couldn’t remember.

Kylo cut them both thick slices, and poured them each a cup of the sweet tea. Hux took an experimental bite, and sighed softly in pleasure. He had been existing so long on the horrid paste-like rations that passed for food in the Order, that he had forgotten things like this were real.

“So I overheard Snoke talking to one of your Officers. So, for your funding campaign, you managed to get Farsine and Belsavis, and you've already sent your diplomats to those places, correct?"

“That's right. Now we’re in the negotiations stage.”

"But you couldn't get the other three planets that you wanted?"

Hux sighed. "I'm working on it. In actuality, if I could just get Asmeru, I wouldn't need the other two for money, I'd go to them for labor. And we’ll need a lot of labor, soon. We have ships to replace, eventually we’ll start forming a new base, maybe even another super-weapon. All of that takes countless individuals.

"Has it occurred to you that you're approaching the leader of Asmeru in the wrong way?"

Hux took a long swallow of his tea, before answering. He knew that Kylo was trying to help, here, but Hux couldn't shake the impression that underneath Kylo's attempted assistance, there was criticism for Hux's methods.

If it was one thing he hated, it was having his methods called into question.

“We approached Dr. Methu the same way we approached the others," Hux said after awhile, looking down at his plate. "But he was 'unreceptive', to say the least."

“Because you did it _wrong_."

“And how would you know that, Lord Ren?", Hux asked, unable to keep the sarcasm from his voice. "Please, enlighten me."

“Dr. Methu used to be in cahoots with the Black Sun crime empire. And by 'used to be', I mean he likely still **is**. He's little more than an outwardly-reformed gangster, and he's got even more money than you think, from his side operations. You and your men approached him as a benevolent leader."

Kylo took a sip of his own tea before continuing.

“I understand that right now we don't have the firepower behind a full scale threat, but you're thinking of 'threat' in the wrong way. You need to come to him as one who knows his secret, about his unscrupulous underworld dealings. Threaten to expose his pristine name as being one of a petty criminal. He cares too much about his public reputation, and how the leaders of the others in the system, see him. He'll give you funding based on fear, and by the time he decides to retaliate, IF he decides to retaliate, our military force should be back to its original compliment, thereby thwarting any intended attacks.”

Hux was impressed. What Kylo said offered a different perspective than the solutions he had tried to come up with. What's more, his answer was clearly very well thought out, and intelligent.

But still . . . 

“How would you even know about the dealings with the Black Sun empire?"

Kylo smiled.

“Han Solo used to do business with him. He'd smuggle illegal spices from his stronghold to other places, at exorbitant prices. I used to accompany Han, sit on the stoop in the basement and eat ice cream and listen to them talk."

Hux raised an eyebrow. "And how many years ago, was this?"

“At least 15."

Hux threw up his hands in exasperation. "Kylo! I can't threaten somebody with possibly false facts based on something you heard as a child 15 years ago!"

“Sure you can. Even if nothing is going on now, that doesn't change the fact that there _was_. And if nothing else prompts a confession, I bet a visit from the friendly neighborhood Enforcer would change things. Especially if he recognized my face first. Which, he should. When I was a kid he was always grabbing it and telling me how much I looked like my mother."

Hux thought about it. Kylo's plan, while sketchy, did seem like it would be worth a shot, to try out. At this point, what did they have to lose?

“I need to start asking Snoke to let YOU come to my meetings.", he told Kylo, draining the last of his tea.

Kylo began to gather up the now-empty plates, a regretful smile spreading over his face. "It won't do you any good. I've asked myself. He says he doesn't want me having anything to do with non-mandatory meetings."

“Why?"

Kylo shrugged. "He says it's not my place to focus my attention on such matters. He says my purpose is to continue being the Enforcer, and advance in my training. That's it. He says anything else pulls my energy from where it needs to be."

To Hux, that sounded ludicrous. If Kylo was clearly smart and saw ways to solve some of their most pressing problems, why NOT let him sit in on meetings and contribute?What good did it do, to have him sit in on the useless mandatory meetings, about nonsense like troop uniform updates and officer promotions?

It seemed to Hux that Snoke was trying to keep Kylo Ren in the dark, about the inner proceedings of The First Order. 

But whether that was because he was _truly_ just focused on Kylo giving his all to his Force training, or for some ulterior thing, he wasn't sure.

He quickly pushed the thoughts from his mind, and stretched again.

“Thank you for the cake, Kylo, but I should get going into the refresher. I still have to shower, then get some more work done on my papers.”

Kylo nodded, then he did something odd. He came close to Hux, tilted his head and leaned close to Hux's neck. Close enough so that his breath tickled Hux's skin. It made Hux feel funny, and nervous.

Before he could ask what Kylo was doing, the taller man straightened back up and said, timidly, "You don't even need a shower; you smell amazing. I've been wanting to ask you, what is it you wear, scent-wise? Because you always smell so good, like--like, smoky ambercrystal, or something like that."

Hux was surprised, and subtly sniffed himself. He couldn't smell a thing.

“That's uh, that's nice of you to say; but I don't wear anything. What you probably smell are the Cigarra's I smoke."

“I didn't know you smoked.”

“Yeah," Hux said, “But only in my work-office. I didn’t want to bring that habit home with me.” He pulled a crumpled pack out of his pocket and held it under Kylo's nose. "See? Is that what you smell?"

Kylo took a deep whiff and grinned. "It is. Well, on _you_ that smells really pleasant."

Absurdly, Hux actually felt himself blush. He couldn't remember the last time he blushed, and wasn't sure why he was doing so now.

Kylo noticed, of course, and was seconds from opening his mouth to say something else, when Hux cut him off at the pass.

“You should try and get some sleep yourself, Ren.”

Kylo nodded, and moved towards his door. “Okay. Then ... I suppose I’ll see you later on tonight?”

“It’s very likely,” Hux told him, before stepping into the refresher. Before the door closed behind him, he gave Ren a smile, and said,

“And thanks again, for the cake.”

Standing with his head pressed against the wall, letting the hot water soothe the cramps in his muscles, Hux had a lot of time, to think about a lot of things.

About chocolate puff cake.  
About cigarras.

About manual labor, the Black Sun, the Knights of Ren, the chair in his bedroom, the papers on his desk.

And ... about Kylo.

Was Hux imagining it, that things had ... _changed_ , between them? 

That something, some energy, now existed where once there was nothing? Something that he could feel, something that was a lot like ... like ...

“It’s early in the morning, and you’re tired, Hux,” he said out-loud to himself, quietly.

He began to shiver, and quickly turned off the water. He had been standing there and thinking for so long that the water had gone stone-cold without him realizing it.

He stepped outside and began to towel himself off.

So started another day in the life of the General.


	4. Chapter 4

Contrary to his prior misgivings, Hux was both pleased and surprised that Kylo’s suggestion in regards to obtaining Dr. Methu’s support had been successful. Hux had gone on a solo mission to Asmeru, bringing with him only a handful of guards, and a small, non-threatening ship.

It had been amusing, to watch the tall, dignified man crumple, when Hux began to quietly speak to him about the Black Sun.

“Surely, you can understand, General ... we all make poor choices in our youth. My unscrupulous underworld dealings was my bad choice. But as time went on, I changed. I’ve grown, I’ve become a responsible leader to a thriving planet ... what would it benefit the First Order, to ruin me to my people?”

Hux took a tiny sip of his water.

Dr. Methu, surely, YOU can understand the position that _I’m_ in. What I represent is the one faction in the entire galaxy that can bring order, and unification, to the chaos sewn by the former Republic. You and I, we have a lot we can offer one another.”

Methu sighed, and wearily rubbed his hand across his beard.

“Very well. Speak; I’m listening.”

That had been several weeks ago, and, after a lot of back and forth logistics, Hux managed to firmly secure Asmeru (and more importantly, a very substantial revenue and labor stream) for the coalition of the Order.

Snoke had been absurdly pleased with this outcome, continually congratulating Hux on his ambition and innovation; but to Hux, this praise felt wrong. This entire thing had been Kylo’s idea, and he should be the one receiving credit, not Hux.

“No!”, Kylo had said, when Hux brought his doubts up to him one evening, at home. “Snoke cant know that I influenced this in any way, I’ve told you that before.”

“But it just feels wrong, to —“

Kylo shook his head. “No. The glory of the moment belongs to YOU, Hux. Embrace it.”

“Well, at least in ONE way, you’re getting a reward, too.”

“Reward? What do you mean?”

“Well, to reward ME for ‘my’ idea, Snoke has granted me permission to go back to having private quarters. Of course this means that you, inadvertently, get your own private quarters as well.”

Hux smiled, expecting to see Kylo smile with him. But he was startled, looking at his face; it was as if he had been suddenly punched in the stomach, driving all the air out of his lungs.

“Ren? What’s —“

“When ... when is this happening?”

“Beginning of next week, Snoke said. He —“

But Kylo had turned around and walked into his bedroom, letting the door close behind him. Hux stared at the place where he had been sitting, stunned. 

This was not the reaction that he had been expecting. After all, surely, by now, Kylo had to be sick of him, right? Going back to the way things had been, would be the best thing for both of them.

Wouldn’t it?

-/-

Hours later, going on midnight, and Kylo re-emerged from his room. His face was calmer than before, and he seemed in-control of himself.

Hux, feeling unsettled, was still sitting in the living room, staring blankly down at his DataPad. He quickly looked up when Kylo entered the room, and sat in the chair next to him.

Neither man spoke for a long time, until finally Hux cleared his throat and asked, timidly, “Are you alright?”

Kylo nodded, not looking at him.

“You’re sure?”

Another nod.

“Good. Okay, well, I guess we should decide, then, who’s staying here, and who’s moving out. I’ll let you make the call, it doesn’t really matter to me either —“

“No.”

“W-what?”

“No. I don’t want to move out.”

“Okay, then, you can stay here, and I’ll —“

“No. I don’t want to move out, and I don’t want you to either. I want you to stay here, with me.”

Hux stared at him, unsure of how to respond. His surprise turned into unease, as Kylo got out of his chair, and knelt in front of Hux’s own, his hands on either of Hux’s armrests, trapping him.

Heart pounding, Hux asked, “What are you doing?”

“Hux, you don’t have the Force, and you can’t read minds or sense feelings, like I can. But at the same time, you’re not a stupid man, by any means. You ... you can’t be totally unaware as to ... to this. To _**me**_.”

Hux leaned back further in his seat, confused and slightly panicked.

“Kylo ... please, don’t —“

Before he could make sense of what was happening, Kylo leaned up, and suddenly their lips were pressing together. Kylo’s hand was gently resting on his cheek, holding him in place.

When Hux didn’t kiss him back, Kylo pulled back a little and whispered, softly, “Please.”

Then Hux was leaning into him, both of his hands on Kylo’s face, greedily drinking the sweet nectar of Kylo’s lips. 

Hux had no idea how long he allowed himself to let go and kiss Kylo. What he did know was that, when some semblance of practicality finally broke through the fog in his brain, he separated himself from Kylo and pushed him back, before standing and going quickly into his room.

Kylo sat on the floor and stared at Hux’s door for a long time, barely aware of the tears falling from his eyes and into the carpet below him.

-/-

“Okay. That’s the last box.”

Kylo nodded and sat down on top of one of them, wiping a bead of sweat from his forehead.

After some deliberation, it was decided that Hux would keep these quarters, and Kylo would move out into new ones. The place he had chosen for himself was located in the lower level of the ship, isolated between a boiler room and a maintenance closet. The perfect place for privacy, for meditation ...

... the perfect place to be alone.

He and Hux had spent the better part of the evening packing up Kylo’s belongings, and were waiting for the droid crew to come and start moving them.

But Kylo felt so unsettled in his mind, that he hoped the crew would take its time. He needed to talk to Hux, he had something he needed to say, but wasn’t sure how to broach the subject.

And he could sense that Hux _knew_ , that Kylo was feeling nervous. Hux was feeling nervous, as well. Anytime Kylo so much as cleared his throat, Hux began rambling about something, about anything, in an attempt to distract Kylo’s words from coming out.

Eventually, Hux ran out of words, and the two sat looking at each other.

“I’m sorry,” Kylo said, softly.

“You don’t have to keep saying that.”

“No, I do. I realize it’s not something you want to talk about ...”

“You’re right; I don’t.”

“But I have to. This is eating me alive, and I have to get it out. So I need you to just be quiet, and hear what I have to say. Alright?”

Hux nodded, avoiding eye contact as he looked down at the floor.

“Okay. I’m sorry for how I did what I did, but not that I did it. And I don’t think you’re really sorry, either. But I do think you’re scared. You’re scared because it was letting go, and you’re not comfortable with giving up control in any aspect of your life. Am I right or wrong?”

“You’re right.”

“Okay. And you’re not willing to take any kind of chance on what ... what this could possibly turn into, because of me. There are too many things wrong with me that can’t be fixed, too many unknown variables, too much risk. Right or wrong?”

“Wrong,” Hux said, finally looking up at him. “Wrong, and backwards. You don’t want me. You think you want me, but you don’t. I’m not talented like you, I don’t have any special skills, I don’t even look all that good. I can’t see, whatever it is that you THINK you —“

He stopped, amazed. He didn’t think it was possible, but ... Kylo Ren, was _crying_. Tears were welling out of his eyes, and his hands were doing very little to push them away.

“You’re the only person in my whole life, that I can talk to,” he said, in-between tears. “You’re smart, you’re level-headed, and you have a good heart. And you know what? I can’t remember a single time in my existence, that I didn’t feel like I was completely alone. You ... you make me feel, like I’m **not** alone.”

Hux stopped him and threw his arms around him, hugging him hard. He patted Kylo’s back as the latter sobbed against his shoulder, letting out all the pain, the anger, the utter loneliness that he had been keeping inside for so long.

A knock on the door startled them both, and Hux, gently separating himself from Kylo, answered it.

“Greetings General, Droid FW-2234 here reporting for duty. Ready to begin mission spec 0021, moving unit 3342 to unit ...”

Hux held up his hand, stopping it. “There’s been a change in plans. Dismiss.”

The droid beeped then whirred away, and Hux closed the door behind it.

He went back to Kylo, who was watching him in confusion. He reached up, grabbed the back of Kylo’s neck, and pulled his face towards his own, leading them into a soft, tentative kiss.

And then another.  
And another.

“Just as I thought,” Hux said when he let go. “It gets better, the more we do it. I think that, with time, we’ll get better, too. With each other. If ... if this is something you want?”

Kylo smiled and lifted Hux off of his feet in a hug, swinging him around in a small circle.

“We have to celebrate! You have to let me make you dinner, or we could go —“

“First things first, we need to unpack these boxes,” Hux said, picking one up. “You know that I can’t stand clutter.”

“Out of curiosity ... am I moving into your bedroom? Or are we keeping separate ones?”

“Separate. For now.”

“For now,” Kylo repeated, smiling as he picked up a box as well. “Okay. I can work with that.”

Undoubtedly, there would be MANY things that he and Hux would work on, in the coming days.

And Kylo couldn’t wait, to start this new part of his life.


End file.
